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arXiv 1408.5201astro-ph.SRastro-ph.EP
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利用凌日行星模拟恒星黑子演化

Using Transiting Planets to Model Starspot Evolution

James R. A. Davenport, Leslie Hebb, Suzanne L. Hawley

摘要:

开普勒望远镜的光度测量揭示了数千颗恒星表面存在冷星斑,呈现出各种各样的斑形态和寿命。了解恒星黑子在主序星上的寿命和演化,揭示了恒星发电机的强度和性质的关键信息。我们通过使用开普勒光变曲线对随时间变化的星点特性进行建模来探测发电机。特别是,我们使用像开普勒17这样的行星系统,它们显示出过境的星点交叉特征。掩星法探测恒星表面沿固定纬度区域的较小尺度的星点特征。我们的方法是新颖的,在建模和过境光曲线功能,使我们能够打破光斑大小,纬度和对比度之间的基本退化。通过开普勒的连续监测,我们能够从许多凌日中观察到斑点位置和大小的微小变化,跨越4年的数据。此外,对于像GJ 1243这样没有凌日行星的恒星,我们能够恢复斑点大小和椭圆度的微妙,长期变化,导致一些最慢的差分旋转速率。这些研究限制了关键的物理参数,包括旋转周期,微分旋转,和扩散时标,并打开了大门,在未来的集合研究详细的斑点演变。

英文摘要:

Photometry from Kepler has revealed the presence of cool starspots on the surfaces of thousands of stars, presenting a wide range of spot morphologies and lifetimes. Understanding the lifetime and evolution of starspots across the main sequence reveals critical information about the strength and nature of stellar dynamos. We probe the dynamo by modeling the starspot properties over time using Kepler light curves. In particular, we use planetary systems like Kepler 17 that show in-transit starspot crossing features. Spot-occulting transits probe smaller-scale starspot features on the stellar surface along a fixed latitude region. Our approach is novel in modeling both the in- and out-of transit light curve features, allowing us to break fundamental degeneracies between spot size, latitude, and contrast. With continuous monitoring from Kepler we are able to observe small changes in the positions and sizes of spots from many transits, spanning 4 years of data. Additionally, for stars without transiting planets like GJ 1243, we are able to recover subtle, long term changes in spot sizes and longitudes, leading to some of the slowest differential rotation rates yet measured. These studies constrain key physical parameters including rotation period, differential rotation, and diffusion timescales, and open the door to ensemble studies of detailed spot evolution in the future.

机构、总结、中文摘要均由AI分析而来,可能存在错误,请以论文正文为准。

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